Resumen
The purpose of this research is to help clarify the ambiguity surrounding market participants? pricing of earnings quality using one clearly observable indicator of low-quality earnings, accounting restatements. This study examines the effect pre-restatement earnings quality has on short-window returns following restatement announcements using a cross-section of 719 publicly traded firms that announced restatements between 1997 and 2004. Accrual metrics are used to proxy for earnings quality. Results indicate that the market reaction to restatement announcements is significantly influenced by pre-restatement earnings quality. Specifically, the accrual measure of earnings quality is significantly and negatively related to the market reaction. This finding provides evidence that investors are attune to implications for poor earnings quality communicated by accruals quality and that this awareness is reflected in stock prices prior to the announcement of a clearly observable measure of poor earnings quality, accounting restatements.